Did anyone call Breville to ask with the plastic insert is for? I am looking into purchasing this machine or some other dual boilers. Do the owners of this machine find the steaming power adequate? Are you able to prepare 4 or 5 lattes in a row without issue?? Would you buy this machine again?

It is my understanding that the plastic insert was supposed to be useful with the double-walled baskets, that having been said, I just got mine about 6 weeks ago and there is no insert in mine. So I hope it's a moot point now. (OBTW I just got it from ABT in Chicago so I guess they have new units in stock w/o the baskets ymmv).

I have never done more than two pitchers in a row so I don't know how it might fare doing 4-5 in a row. My gut reaction is that if you started with a full resevoir you should be good. I used to be able to do it with an old "bottom feeder" Avanti single boiler (that was mostly just after a lot of practice lol). That took some real organization (lmao)

And would I buy it again? So far, YES! I am a bit concerned with the "failures" that some members are experiencing, but, seemingly Breville is trying to stay on top of them.

I went with the BDB because it had a very good mix of real features at a reasonable price point. And it makes great espresso! The components look to be readily available so long term outlook seems good to me.

Did anyone call Breville to ask with the plastic insert is for? I am looking into purchasing this machine or some other dual boilers. Do the owners of this machine find the steaming power adequate? Are you able to prepare 4 or 5 lattes in a row without issue?? Would you buy this machine again?

No idea why they had the insert, no idea why folks recommend to remove it. But I just got my machine replaced for a different issue and the new PF does not include the insert so I guess it didn't need to be there in the first place.

I have no problem making 3-4 latte's in a row but then I'm slow, measuring the beans for each dose, etc. Steam power has been adequate but since this is my first "real" machine, I don't have much to compare it to. And yes, I'd buy this machine again without giving it a second thought. Breville has been great on the support side and I'm very happy with the drinks I've been able to make.

I'd sure like to know where Mr. Prince's full review of this unit went. It was posted around Dec. 23rd, but it linked to an older review. There was even a Topic Header for it in the "Detailed Review" thread. Someone dropped a note that the link was incorrect and *POOF*, no more review on the home page and removed from the review thread.

A little snooping on his profile page does show that it's "somewhere" in there, just not posted:

Quoting Nick:"After the use of 10 months since it was new, I found I must grind the beans finer to maintain 9 bar brewing pressure but all other things look normal and fine. I consistently descale the boilers and steam boiler's safety valve, so the boilers and the valve are all in very good conditions. Also, the o-rings used in the hoses connections are renewed if needed."

I've been having to grind my beans finer too. It doesn't make sense, however, to claim that a finer grind would compensate for a leaky solenoid. If anything, loss of brew pressure would require you to go the other way and loosen the grind.

So I tried a different method: I cleaned and adjusted by Vario grinder for the first time in several months. Voila, I can now move the left hand grind lever down, get a longer pull, and get a better shot.

Every brewing problem doesn't necessarily relate to the espresso machine.

The insert allows a shorter warm-up time by keeping a cold PF from chilling the shot. The naked PF does this much better. Removing the insert is good for general cleanliness and better shots when the PF is fully warmed up.

The insert allows a shorter warm-up time by keeping a cold PF from chilling the shot. The naked PF does this much better. Removing the insert is good for general cleanliness and better shots when the PF is fully warmed up.

I have just purchased a Vario-W. I am interested in what weight setting, and grind setting, you use of the vario for a double shot with the standard Breville porta-filter. I know that this will vary by the coffee, but, I am curious as to the range of settings as a point of departure. Also, how did you decide what the optimal setting was. Presumably based on some combination of time and pressure, but, I'm not quite sure how to approach the process. Thanks.

I have just purchased a Vario-W. I am interested in what weight setting, and grind setting, you use of the vario for a double shot with the standard Breville porta-filter. I know that this will vary by the coffee, but, I am curious as to the range of settings as a point of departure. Also, how did you decide what the optimal setting was. Presumably based on some combination of time and pressure, but, I'm not quite sure how to approach the process. Thanks.

Start with 19g, the right lever all the way to the top and the left lever 75% of the way to the top and when work the left lever up or down to get a 36g shot in 35 seconds on the timer. Then adjust to taste, where raising the lever or increasing the shot volume is more toward the bitter side and going the other way is more toward the sour side. In the end, the weight should remain constant and you'll adjust the other factors to get the most good stuff out of the beans.

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